Irvin Jones Obituary
It is with heavy hearts that Irvin's loved ones let you know that he passed away peacefully on January 9th, 2020. Irvin came from a very large Italian / Irish family growing up in SE Portland. He was born to Verna and Jake Jones in Portland, Oregon on the 3rd of May 1951. Born at Emmanuel, he was a native Oregonian and loved the outdoors.
He went to Abernathy Grade school and graduated from Washington High School in 1969. Irvin grew up fast, losing his beloved grandfather, Rosario Molinaro (aka Ross Miller) in 1963, and then four years later when Irvin was just 16 years old, his brother, PFC Thomas Jake Jones, was killed on July 4th, 1967 in the Vietnam war.
These two events in Irvin's life shaped him to become a very strong willed, protective and passionate person. Irvin made many friends at school, that he remained close to his whole life. Irvin married Loretta Smith in 1972 and moved to Centralia Washington working in the local lumber mill. Irvin, always a very emotional expressive person, was very saddened when his marriage ended, and so he moved back to Portland in 1981 to the comfort of his mother, stepfather and sisters.
He was very close to his family and enjoyed the Holidays and was always the life of the party. His teasing and fun-loving ways made everyone laugh and enjoy themselves, especially because they were with him. Thanksgiving was his favorite as he was a very spiritual person and had a strong faith in God. Shortly after returning to Portland, he landed a job at Precision Castparts Corporation and worked there for over 10 years.
He made many friends there and enjoyed his job as a machine operator very much. Then, on April 1st, 1984, he entered the happiest days of his life when he met his forever love and soulmate, Linda Lee Carl. Irvin married Linda on June 11th 1988 and had a very happy home life. After his time at Precision, Irvin worked for K&K Color lab, Ashforth Pacific, and Goodwill Industries.
Irvin was a fantastic cook. As a child, he learned from his Grandmother and Mother wonderful classic Italian recipes. He loved to barbecue, and his family loved to join in the wonderful food he would prepare. Irvin was always a high energy person, giving all his energy to his careers and was very proud to let you know he never once called in sick.
Irvin loved working on his classic cars, his home and garden. He was a perfectionist and wanted to do things his way, because after all, that was the best way. He will be greatly missed and loved forever by his family, friends and neighbors. He is preceded in death by his parents, his mother and father in-law , and his brother.
He is survived by his beautiful wife Linda, his sister in-law Sheila Matthews, his sister Debbie Vilcko and her husband Steve, his sister Heidi Branscomb and her husband Tom, nephews Thomas Charbonneau and Gabriel Vilcko, and many many cousins and friends.
